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Title: A Plot in Private Life

Author: Wilkie Collins

Narrator: Bobbie Frohman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-05-13

Publisher: Alcazar AudioWorks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Originally published as "A Marriage Tragedy" in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, February 1858.

William, the narrator and faithful servant to rich widow Mrs. Norcross tells the story of her unhappy second marriage to James Smith. A detective lawyer's clerk, Mr. Dark, both confirms Smith's bigamous remarriage and, following his disappearance, proves Mrs. Norcross and William innocent of murder. Dark also recovers jewellery stolen by the maidservant and establishes her guilt. William's amiable relationship with the experienced detective foreshadows that between Betteredge and Cuff in The Moonstone (1868).

William Wilkie Collins (1824 1889) was a very popular Victorian novelist and a close friend and collaborator of Charles Dickens. Collins was a prolific writer, publishing not only novels, but many plays, short stories, and works of nonfiction. The son of a successful landscape artist, Collins developed an early interest in storytelling to disarm bullies at boarding school. As a child, Collins lived and traveled throughout Europe, and to please his father, became a lawyer. Collins sold his first short story at 19, his first novel at 24. He had a very successful career as a master of suspense with a distinct narrative voice, filled with social commentary. Wilkie Collins never actually practiced law, but his knowledge profoundly impacted his writing and he is considered one of the godfathers of the detective novel.

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Title: Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus

Author: Mary Shelley

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-30-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Mary Shelley's classic gothic horror novel. The scientific young genius, Frankenstein, discovers a method for creating life in inanimate objects and sets about a project to build a human in his laboratory. He is successful in his aim, but in so doing, unleashes on the world a creature whose physical deformities make him repulsive to everyone who sets eyes on him.

Starved of human affection, the monster becomes increasingly vindictive and violent, and turns the full force of his superhuman powers to the task of revenging himself on his own creator. At first, Frankenstein is unaware of the fiend pursuing him. But soon the ghastly horror of his situation becomes terrifying clear... and the only solution is to find and destroy the monster, before he wreaks havoc on the entire world.

Members Reviews:

Not Bad...

Any additional comments?

I thought that story was alright but Cathy Dobson's voice was too happy and sing-songy... I was looking for more of a horror story, and I ended up sympathizing with the Monster and wanting to kill Dr. Frank myself...

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Title: The Mixer

Author: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrator: David Ian Davies

Format: Unabridged

Length: 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-09-13

Publisher: One Voice Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A story from a dogs point of view. A mongrel and street dog. A real Mixer. Why is this man teaching you to behave against your instinct.

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Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-04-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When the villainous Mr. Hyde embarks on a series of heinous crimes in London, he proves elusive to the authorities. What is more puzzling is the peculiar last will and testament drawn up by the mild mannered and amiable scientist, Dr. Jekyll, leaving everything he owns to the disreputable Mr. Hyde in the case of his own death or disappearance.

As Robert Louis Stevenson's tale unfolds from his masterly pen, the listener is drawn into the mystery and waits with bated breath for the denouement. Gripping!

Members Reviews:

Classic

I read this because it's a classic, and I really love reading classics. This story is very short. I think it took me about an hour to read. I knew the basic premise of the story, but beyond that, the entire plot was new to me.

I won't describe the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. However, I love the writing style, and I really like that the story is told by a third party who is friends with Dr. Jekyll.

Overall, I give it four stars because I wish it had been a little longer. It felt a little rushed at the end, but maybe I was just reading too fast because I wanted to know what would happen. I would definitely recommend this book. It's an interesting story especially when Dr. Jekyll explains his reasoning. It's a lot of food for thought.

Strange, but Great!

Well that was odd.

When you start reading a Classic, any Classic, you have to remember that it won't written like the books of today. I don't just mean that the wording will be more difficult, or even the sentence structure, I mean the viewpoint that the story is told from. I had expected this to be told from the point of view of the protagonist, Dr. Jekyll. Instead, it was told from the viewpoint of one of his friends, Mr. Utterson. I liked how it was told that way, you were able to see the other characters' reactions to Dr. Jekyll's strange behavior, and the curiosity to what may have caused it. You also are able to see their feelings toward Mr. Hyde, and how they completely disagree with Jekyll's decision to trust Hyde.

The majority of the story is told this way. Hyde is a hated man, one who people despise at first glance, thought they can never place just why that is. Jekyll is respected and loved, but has begun to act strangely, with a lot of fear and distress. Nobody can quite figure out why this is, or why he spend time with Mr.Hyde, especially after Hyde murders an important man. Gleefully, he murdered him gleefully.

The last two chapters change a bit. The second to last chapter is told as a letter from Lanyon, a friend of both Utterson and Jekyll. It tells of how he did Jekyll a favor, only to discover that Jekyll is Hyde, as Jekyll drank a cure before him. And the last chapter is told from the viewpoint of Dr. Jekyll himself.

Now is when it gets weird.

I had always thought that Jekyll had some mental issue, then read the book. I discovered that he believed that people were commingled of both good and bad, and this fascinated him. Long story short, he creates an elixir which he believes will separate the parts into two different entities. He succeeds, and for a while is able to switch freely between his different personalities. He enjoys evil-doing as Hyde and is guilt free when he returns to being Jekyll. But you can see him going crazy by his words.

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Title: Classic Short Stories

Subtitle: From the Great Storywriters of the World

Author: Mark Twain, O. Henry, Thomas Hardy, Katherine Mansfield, Rudyard Kipling, Ambrose Bierce, Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-15-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A vintage collection of some of the greatest short stories ever written.

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Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: James Alexander

Format: Unabridged

Length: 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-15-13

Publisher: Flowerpot Press

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The King of Bohemia has hired Sherlock Holmes to recover photos of his affair with the actress Irene Adler, but Miss Adler does not want to give the photos up. What lengths will Holmes go to retrieve the photos for the King? And how will he fair at the hands of his beautiful quarry? Join Watson as he tells the tale of his good friend and the one he will always refer to as "the woman".

Members Reviews:

Good Morning Irene from Amazon

This story was my introduction to Sherlock Holmes. It was a short story that was published in a newspaper and one of the few times Holmes is outwitted, this time by a woman. What sparked my interest was book discovered in a local bookstore titled Chapel Noir: An Irene Adler Mystery by Carole Nelson Douglas, the fourth book in the series. It's the continuation of Irene Adler after Scandal in Bohemia. I already ordered the first book, Good Morning Irene from Amazon. It will be a summer read. As to Mr. Holmes! I plan to read more and join the only Holmes Society on the West Coast in my neck of the Gold Country.

Fast Read

After watching the series Sherlock from BBC I decided I was going to go back and read the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle books. The Sherlock episode was entitled A Scandal in Belgravia versus Bohemia. They were very faithful to the book despite it being modernized. I read this book in under 2 hours it was that good. I will read his others as I have the time. I would recommend this book for an insight into Sherlock himself.

a good read

I had seen the TV version which was very interesting with a confusing plot.so I wanted the book version to read. And it was not disappointing but I am a Sherlock Holmes nut.

Conan Doyle never disappoints

This brief classic tale has become iconic. It is much quoted in spin off stories written by others. Indeed, Irene Adler is a clever woman!

Three Stars

FUN READING

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Title: They

Author: Rudyard Kipling

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-08-13

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A long underrated masterpiece of Kiplings brilliant narration, They is a hauntingly beautiful tale of eternal love and loss. During a motor trip, the writer chances upon a country house which is visited by elusive and mysterious children, and meets the equally mysterious blind lady who lives there. Fascinated, enchanted, and yet somehow unsettled by the experience, he finds himself repeatedly drawn back to the house until finally the uncanny truth dawns.

"I found hidden villages where bees, the only things awake, boomed in 80-foot lindens that overhung grey Norman churches; miraculous brooks diving under stone bridges built for heavier traffic than would ever vex them again; tithe-barns larger than their churches, and an old smithy that cried out aloud how it had once been a hall of the Knights of the Temple. Gypsies I found on a common where...the gorse, bracken, and heath fought it out together up a mile of Roman road; and a little further on I disturbed a red fox rolling dog-fashion in the naked sunlight."

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Title: A Christmas Carol: A Brand New Production (Dramatised)

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Donna Coombe

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-12

Publisher: Andrews UK Limited

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A Christmas Carol is Charles Dickens's classic tale of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge. In this all-new full-cast dramatization, we re-live the iconic story where the mean old businessman is visited by the spirits of Christmases past, present and future. With a cast of eleven actors performing the well-known roles of everyone from Jacob Marley to Tiny Tim, this fresh production breathes new life into a much-loved seasonal favourite.

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Title: Tristram Shandy

Author: Laurence Sterne

Narrator: Steven Pacey

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-25-12

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Penguin Classics presents Laurence Sternes The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by Steven Pacey.

"I am got, I know not how, into a cold un-metaphorical vein of infamous writing, and cannot take a plumb-lift out of it for my soul; so must be obliged to go on writing like a Dutch commentator to the end of the chapter, unless something be done...."

Laurence Sternes great masterpiece of bawdy humour and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate "hero" Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick.

A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations. Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.

Members Reviews:

If you're interested in the history of literature...

This is a seminal book in the history of the novel as discussed by Professor Weinstein on the Great Course, "Classic Novels" progrm.

Strap yourself in

This is perhaps the oddest book ever written with the author jumping in & out of the story. Lines like "Both of our characters have fallen asleep, which is good because it gives me time to discuss my uncle's fascination with fortifications."

Thomas Jefferson's favorite book. Very quirky, very funny.

Five Stars

Why haven't I read this before?

NOT unabridged and NOT complete edition.

(This review pertains to the "Seven Treasures" edition. Apparently a print-on-demand volume. Unfortunately Amazon often mixes up editions in the review section.

At any rate, compare this with any complete edition and you'll see that this text is not complete. Neither does it contain the eccentric illustrations.

Moreover the "publisher":

â Doesn't bother to retain the author's original italics

â Misspells "gentleman" (as "gentelman") when he affixes the title of the book to the head of each chapter

â Spreads the text across abnormally wide margins, making it difficult to read, but easy for him to print. (It's more like a small telephone book.)

â Supplies no reference for the edition on which this is based, supplies no introduction, has none of the book's illustrations, and gives no credit for the anachronistic, Edwardian fellow on the cover (150 years out of place). In essence, there is no editor.

This (Seven Treasures Publications) is just a print-on-demand job, based on an "edition" known only to them. It's surely not the complete text. And any "publisher" who spells "gentleman" as "gentelman" needs to go back and finish Tenth Grade.

Five Stars

It's a classic for a reason

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Title: A Christmas Carol

Subtitle: A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Mike Vendetti

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-11-12

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A Christmas Carol in Prose: Being a Ghost Story of Christmas by Charles Dickens. From the author's preface: "I have endeavored in this ghostly little book to raise the ghost of an idea, which shall not put any readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly." First published in December 1843, the story has been in continuous print ever since. A true treasure that never grows old.

Members Reviews:

TV and Movies versions were good, but the book is better. . .

One of my co-workers encouraged me to read this since I have only seen the TV/Movie versions. It was a quick read and very enjoyable. Fortunately, the TV/Movie versions weren't too far off the mark. Regardless, there were facets of the story that you would only get through the book, which is why reading the book will always be my favorite option.

BAH! HUMBUG!! "God bless Us, Every One"

A Christmas Carol is a beloved Christmas favorite. Nothing says Christmas like favorite Christmas stories. This timeless tale has been told in many versions. Iâve seen the movie and play but Iâve never read the book. I thought it was about time to finally read this tale.

The illustrations throughout the book were fun to look at. Not common to find illustrations in books today unless they are children stories.

Lots of great quotes come from this story but the most famous is BAH! HUMBUG! followed by:

"God bless Us, Every One!"

Standalone

As great to read vs as to watch as a production.

We've enjoyed many kinds of productions of this classic Scrooge story. The original makes us 'rise to the occasion' - or at least gets us to mentally take the time to step back in that era. Life was so different, so the real factor is (I think) a little richer, than already assembled viewables. Emotional, and the older language adds some incentive to digging into the story.

A must read!

Dickens has always intimidated me. Somehow, I made my way through high school and college without having to read one of his novels. Finally, a few weeks before Christmas, I decided to give this a try when I learned it is relatively short. I figured if it took some work, at least it wouldn't take all that long. I'm sorry I waited so long. It was impossible for me to separate this from the many versions of A Christmas Carol I've seen over the years. I loved it. I enjoyed the glimpse into the time and place of the story. The story and theme are, of course, legendary.

Don't be intimidated. This is a book everyone should read at least once.

Classic I Know

I have tried this one before and was distracted within the first five chapters but with the advise of a colleague I am going to attempt this one again. I am late 30's and sometimes have a tough time focusing for long spans of time unless the story is captivating from the get go, you have to appreciate writing for the sake of verb-age and description to get into this. So, because it is a classic and I think the classics should be read - I'll give it another go but not looking forward to it despite the wonderful reviews. Hated Pride and Prejudice too - just depends on personal taste I suppose. Loved The Divine Comedy....